Infant wedge sleep positioner

ABSTRACT

An infant wedge sleep positioner comprising a cushion, a covering means for the cushion, one supporting pillow that is fixedly secured to the covering means, and another opposed supporting pillow that is releaseably secured to the covering means for laterally moving this pillow in relation to the other pillow. This combination creates a cradle for positioning an infant within the device and accommodating a growing infant or different sized infants. In an alternate embodiment, the infant wedge sleep positioner further provides ventilating channels in one or both of the supporting pillows for regulating the temperature of the infant while the infant rests or sleeps, thereby, further reducing the risk of the infant becoming overheated.

I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to infant positioners and, moreparticularly, to a wedge sleep positioner device for positioning aninfant on their back or side while sleeping, thereby, reducing the riskof sudden infant death. The device further provides unobstructedventilation to the infant for reducing the risk of the infant becomingover heated.

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Medical studies have shown that infants who sleep on their backs orsides have a reduced risk of dying suddenly from Sudden Infant DeathSyndrome (SIDS) as compared to infants who sleep on their stomachs.

Knowing this and in an effort to help reduce the risk to infants,Applicant has invented a number of devices as disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,473,923; 5,341,531; D448,227; D446,675; D408,676; D385,143;D369,934; D369,054; and pending U.S. Patent Application, PublicationNumber 2006-0168733. Other devices have also been invented as disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,176 entitled “Infant Support System”; U.S. Pat.No. 5,448,790 entitled “Selectively Arrangeable Cushion Assembly”; U.S.Pat. No. 5,439,008 entitled “Infant Reflux Restraint Apparatus”; andU.S. Pat. No. 4,193,150 entitled “Elevated Mattress.”

Although these and other similar devices are used to decrease theincidence of SIDS based on the sleeping position of infants, the art inthis field continues to expand and grow with new inventive devicestoward improving sleep positioning devices and the common goal ofproviding for the health and safety of infants. Thus, there is a needand there has never been disclosed Applicant's new infant wedge sleeppositioner.

III. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an infant wedge sleep positioner comprising acushion, a covering means for the cushion, one supporting pillow that isfixedly secured to the covering means, and another opposed supportingpillow that is releaseably secured to the covering means for laterallymoving this pillow in relation to the other pillow. This combinationcreates a cradle for positioning an infant within the device andaccommodating a growing infant or different sized infants. In analternate embodiment, the infant wedge sleep positioner further providesventilating channels in one or both of the supporting pillows forregulating the temperature of the infant while the infant rests orsleeps, thereby, further reducing the risk of the infant becomingoverheated.

IV. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The Description of the Preferred Embodiment will be better understoodwith reference to the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of Applicant's unique infant wedgesleep positioner and, in particular, illustrating a cutaway of the firstand second sections of the cushion and the releasability of the firstbody pillow.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view, taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, ofApplicant's infant wedge sleep positioner.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of Applicant's infant wedge sleeppositioner and, in particular, illustrating the first body pillow andsecond body pillows in relation to the cushion.

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofApplicant's infant wedge sleep positioner and, in particular,illustrating ventilating channels in the exterior of each of the firstbody pillow and second body pillow.

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the alternate embodiment ofApplicant's infant wedge sleep positioner and, in particular,illustrating ventilating channels in the exterior ends of each of thefirst body pillow and second body pillow.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the alterrnate embodiment ofApplicant's infant wedge sleep positioner and, in particular,illustrating one means for connecting adjacent ventilation channels.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the alterrnate embodiment ofApplicant's infant wedge sleep positioner and, in particular,illustrating a second means for connecting adjacent ventilationchannels.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of another alternate embodiment ofApplicant's infant wedge sleep positioner and, in particular,illustrating the releasability of each of the first body pillow andsecond body pillow in relation to one another and the cushion.

V. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an infant wedge sleeppositioner 10. The infant wedge sleep positioner 10 comprises a cushion16, a cover 17, a first body pillow 12, and a second body pillow 14.

The cushion 16 has a top surface 18, a back surface 19, sides 20 and 22,and a bottom surface 24. In the preferred embodiment, the cushion 16 isin the shape of a wedge having a width 26, a length 28, and an acuteangle 30 formed by the separation from the top surface 18 to the bottomsurface 24 beginning at a proximal end 32 of the cushion 16 andcontinuing to a distal end 34 of the cushion 16.

In the preferred embodiment, the cushion 16 is separated into or createdfrom a first section 36 and a second section 38. The first section 36and the second section 38 are each shaped into substantially identicalwedge shapes with the first section 36 forming the top half of thecushion 16 and the second section 38 forming the bottom half of thecushion 16. In this manner, the first section 36 is positioned above andvertically aligned with the second section 38 such that the cushion 16provides a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape.

Alternatively, the first section 36 and the second section 38 may belarger or smaller than one another and/or formed into the same ordifferent various types of shapes for creating the cushion 16. In onenon-limiting alternative, the first section 36 may form the entire topsurface 18, part of the back surface 19, and part of the sides 20 and 22of the cushion 16. The second section 38 may then form the entire bottomsurface 24 of the cushion 16, the remaining part of the back surface 19not forming part of the first section 36 that is either larger orsmaller than the first section 36, and the remaining part of the sides20 and 22 not forming part of the first section 36 that is either largeror smaller than the first section 36.

In another non-limiting example, additional sections of any varyingsizes, shapes, or materials may be used in combination with any varyingsizes, shapes, or materials of the first section 36 and second section38 for creating the cushion 16. Many other non-limiting alternatives mayfurther be used to accomplish the intended invention as known by oneskilled in the art.

In the preferred embodiment, the first section 36 and the second section38 are each independent, unsecured sections that engage one another in avertical orientation to form the unified cushion 16. Alternatively, thefirst section 36 may be secured to the second section 38 using hook andloop fasteners such as Velcro®, adhesive, bonding, molding, or any othermeans known to one skilled in the art.

The first section 36 is preferably made of a material that provides amemory foam for providing comfort to the infant including but notlimited to polyurethane foam, visco-elastic foam, or any other type offoam providing this memory quality that is known to one skilled in theart. The second section 38 is preferably made of a material thatprovides a firm elasticity type foam for providing support for thecushion 16 including but not limited to polyurethane or any other typeof foam providing this firm supporting quality that is known to oneskilled in the art. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the firstsection 36 and the second section 38 may be made of the same orsubstantially the same material.

The cushion 16 is contained within a cover 17. The cover 17 ispreferably made of a flannel or terry cloth type material.Alternatively, any other type of material known to one skilled in theart may be used to cover the cushion 16 provided that the material canbe used in the manner described herein and does not interfere with theuse of the infant wedge sleep positioner 10 for the infant 42 or causethe infant 42 to have an adverse reaction due to allergies or otherailments.

The cover 17 is provided with an opening means (not illustrated) topermit the cushion 16 to be inserted into and/or removed from the cover17. In the preferred embodiment, the opening means is situated at thedistal end 34 of the cushion 16. The opening means is preferablyaccomplished using an overlap of material in the cover 17 having hookand loop fasteners such as Velcro® that can be separated to create anopening to receive the cushion 16 and releaseably secured to retain thecushion 16 within the cover 17. Alternatively, any other means such as azipper, buttons, snaps, any type of seal, or any other means known toone skilled in the art may be used as the opening means provided that itaccomplishes the intended purposes as described herein. In this manner,upon removal of the cushion 16, the cover 17 may be washed and cleanedfor further use with the infant 42. The cushion 16 may likewise berepaired or replaced, if necessary.

In the preferred embodiment, the first body pillow 12 is positionedadjacent to side 20 of the cushion 16 and the second body pillow 14 ispositioned adjacent to the side 22 of the cushion 16. In this manner,the combination of the first body pillow 12, the second body pillow 14,and the cushion 16 coact to create a cradle 40 between them to receivean infant 42. The infant 42 is illustrated in phantom and does not forma part of the invention.

The first body pillow 12 and the second body pillow 14 are positioneddirectly opposite from one another and aligned in a parallelrelationship relative to the length 28 of the cushion 16. In thepreferred embodiment, the first body pillow 12 is releasably affixed tothe cover 17 adjacent to the top surface 18 of the cushion 16 and thesecond body pillow 14 is permanently affixed to the cover 17 adjacent tothe top surface 18 of the cushion 16 such that the first body pillow 12may move laterally with respect to the second body pillow 14.

In order to move laterally with respect to the second body pillow 14,the first body pillow 12 is affixed to the cushion 16 using a fasteningmeans 54 permanently secured to the bottom side 48 of the first bodypillow 12 and to the cover 17 adjacent to the top surface 18 of thecushion 16. The fastening means 54 is preferably an elongated hook andloop fastener strip such as Velcro®. With respect to the cover 17, thefastening means 54 extends laterally, at one end, from a positionadjacent the proximal end 32 of the cushion 16 and the side 20 towardthe second body pillow 14 with the opposite end of the fastening means54 ending at a position covering less than half of the width 26 of thecushion 16. Alternatively, the fastening means 54 between the cover 17and the first body pillow 12 may be any type of male/female snaps, holeand button combination, opposed releasable bonding strips, or any othermeans known to one skilled in the art.

In this manner, the first body pillow 12 may be affixed to the fasteningmeans 54 on the cover 17 and moved laterally anywhere along thefastening means 54 (i.e, toward or away from the second body pillow 14).If the infant is very small, the first body pillow 12 may be movedcloser to the second body pillow 14 to accommodate the infant. The firstbody pillow 12, however, may only be moved as close to the second bodypillow 14 as permitted by the fastening means 54. As the infant grows orif the infant is larger, the first body pillow 12 may be moved fartheraway from the second body pillow 14 to accommodate the increased size ofthe infant. The first body pillow 12, however, should only be moved asfar away from the second body pillow 14 as permitted by the fasteningmeans 54 which is the convex portion of the first body pillow 12becoming flush against the proximal end 32 and side 20 of the cushion16. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the first body pillow 12(i.e., the convex portion) may extend a small distance over the side 20of the cushion 16 provided that there remains sufficient portion of thebottom side 48 of the first body pillow 12 to affix to the cushion 16and remain effective for positioning and retaining the infant 42 ontheir back or side while sleeping.

The first body pillow 12 and second body pillow 14 are shaped to receiveand position the infant 42 on its back while sleeping. In thisembodiment, the first body pillow 12 and the second body pillow 14 arepreferably triangular in cross section having an interior side 44, anexterior side 46, and a bottom side 48 (FIG. 2). Alternatively, thefirst body pillow 12 and/or the second body pillow 14 may be shaped as arectangle, square, circle, oval, ovid, hexagon, rhombus, trapezoid,octagon, etc . . .

In the preferred embodiment, the first body pillow 12 and the secondbody pillow 14 are curved such that the interior sides 44 of the firstbody pillow 12 and the second body pillow 14 each create a pillow havinga concave shape facing towards the infant 42. As shown in FIG. 3, theinterior sides 44 of the first body pillow 12 and the second body pillow14 are separated by a distance 50 at both of their ends and by adistance 52 at the midpoint between their ends. In this manner, thefirst body pillow 12 and the second body pillow 14 are a mirror image ofone another. The cradle 40 that is formed between these shaped pillowshas been found useful for positioning the infant 42 on its back.

Alternatively, instead of being curved, the first body pillow 12, thesecond body pillow 14, or both may have straight sides or any othercombination of shapes or contours for creating the cradle 40 for theinfant 42 provided that the resulting combination is acceptable forholding the infant 42.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the first body pillow 12 and the second bodypillow 14 can be shaped for positioning the infant 42 on its side. Byreleasing the first body pillow 12, rotating the first body pillow 12through one hundred and eighty degrees (180°), and reaffixing the firstbody pillow 12, the first body pillow 12 would now be shaped and have acontour that is opposite to the second body pillow 14 for positioningthe infant 42 on its other side. The result is that the interior side 44of the second body pillow 14 continues to have a concave shape facingtowards the infant 42, as in the original embodiment, with the interiorside 44 of the first body pillow 12 being changed from the originalembodiment to create a convex shape facing towards the infant 42. Thecradle 40 that is formed between this combination of shaped pillows hasbeen found useful for positioning the infant 42 on its side.

In an alternate embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the second bodypillow 14 may be releasably affixed to the cover 17 adjacent to the topsurface 18 of the cushion 16 using a fastening means 54 as well. Thisfastening means is preferably a hook and loop fastener such as Velcro®that is releasably affixed to the cover 17 and the bottom side 48 of thesecond body pillow 14. Alternatively, the fastening means 54 between thecover 17 and the second body pillow 14 may be any type of male/femalesnaps, hole and button combination, opposed releasable bonding strips,or any other means known to one skilled in the art.

In this manner, if the first body pillow 12 remains unchanged from itsoriginal embodiment, by releasing the second body pillow 14, rotatingthe second body pillow 14 through one hundred and eighty degrees (180°),and reaffixing the second body pillow 14, the second body pillow 14would be shaped and have a contour that is opposite to the first bodypillow 12 for positioning the infant 42 on its side. The result is thatthe interior side 44 of the first body pillow 12 continues to have aconcave shape facing towards the infant 42, as in the originalembodiment, with the interior side 44 of the second body pillow 14 beingchanged from the original embodiment to create a convex shape facingtowards the infant 42. The cradle 40 that is formed between thiscombination of shaped pillows has been found useful for positioning theinfant 42 on its side.

As both the first body pillow 12 and the second body pillow 14 arereleasably affixed in this embodiment, if the first body pillow 12 andthe second body pillow 14 are released from their original embodiments(see FIG. 1), each rotated through one hundred and eighty degrees(180°), and reaffixed, the first body pillow 12 and the second bodypillow 14 would be shaped and have a contour that remains the same withrespect to one another for positioning the infant 42 on its other side.The result is that the interior side 44 of the first body pillow 12 ischanged from the original embodiment to create a convex shape facingtowards the infant 42 and the interior side 44 of the second body pillow14 is changed from the original embodiment to create a convex shapefacing towards the infant 42. The cradle 40 that is formed between thiscombination of shaped pillows has been found useful for positioning theinfant 42 on its other side.

In another alternate embodiment, any one or all of the first body pillow12, second body pillow 14, or cushion 16 may be imbedded with aheartbeat component.

In yet another alternate embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 4, each ofthe first body pillow 12 and the second body pillow 14 are provided withventilating channels 56. The ventilating channels 56 extend from theinterior side 44 to the exterior side 46 of each pillow. In thepreferred embodiment, the air surrounding the infant wedge sleeppositioner 10 has direct access, through each of the ventilatingchannels 56, to the infant 42 being held within the infant wedge sleeppositioner 10. Likewise, the air surrounding the infant 42 within thecradle 40 and the temperature or heat emanating from the infant 42 whichis trapped between the infant 42 and the cushion 16 and the first bodypillow 12 and the second body pillow 14 has direct access, through eachof the ventilating channels 56, to the outside air surrounding theinfant wedge sleep positioner 10. As a result and discussed in moredetail below, the ventilating channels 56 enable the transfer of air toand from the infant 42 for regulating the temperature of the infant 42.

The ventilating channels 56 are positioned along the length of the firstbody pillow 12 and the second body pillow 14. As depicted in anon-limiting example, the first body pillow 12 and the second bodypillow 14 are each provided with three ventilating channels 56. One isplaced adjacent the upper region of the infant 42; one is placedadjacent the middle region of the infant 42; and one is placed adjacentthe lower region of the infant 42. This combination of ventilatingchannels 56 in the first body pillow 12 and the second body pillow 14provides air access and temperature transfer to and from each of theseregions and on both sides of the infant 42.

Alternatively, it is contemplated that the first body pillow 12 and/orthe second body pillow 14 may be provided with more or less ventilatingchannels 56 provided that the ventilating channels 56 used aresufficient to achieve the necessary ventilation for regulating thetemperature of the infant 42 and reducing the risk of the infantbecoming over heated. Additionally, it is further contemplated that thelocation of the ventilating channels 56 and the number of ventilatingchannels 56 within the first body pillow 12 may be different than boththe location and number of ventilating channels 56 within the secondbody pillow 14. These variations depend, in part, upon the vitals of theinfant 42. For example, if an infant 42 is medically overweight, theinfant's body may tend to generate more heat which, if not adequatelyventilated through the ventilating channels 56, could increase thetemperature of the infant 42 to unacceptable levels.

The ventilating channels 56, as illustrated in FIG. 6, preferably extendin a straight line through each pillow from the interior side 44 to theexterior side 46. The straight line of the ventilating channels 56remain parallel to the cushion 16 and provide a constant diameter.Alternatively, the ventilating channels 56 may extend through thepillows in any curved, bent, or other form and at any varying angles ordiameter in relation to the cushion 16 or infant 42; provided that, theventilating channels 56 accommodate the necessary ventilation to andfrom the infant 42 and the outside air surrounding the infant wedgesleep positioner 10.

In a non-limiting example, the ventilating channels 56 are circular inshape and maintain a constant diameter. Alternatively, it iscontemplated that the ventilating channels 56 may be any shape includingbut not limited to a circle, oval, ovid, square, triangle, rectangle,hexagon, octagon, rhombus, trapezoid, etc . . . provided that theventilating channels 56 are of sufficient size, either individually orin combination, to accommodate the necessary ventilation to and from theinfant 42 and the outside air surrounding the infant wedge sleeppositioner 10.

Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a ventilating channel 58 may beprovided in either or both of the first body pillow 12 and the secondbody pillow 14 at their ends and/or other sides. It is contemplated thatthe ventilating channel 58 may be the only ventilating channel in theinfant wedge sleep positioner 10 or used in combination with any numberof or various forms of the ventilating channels 56 as disclosed herein.

In this embodiment, the ventilating channel 58 extends from the interiorside 44 to the exterior side 46 of the ends or sides of each pillow. Asillustrated in FIG. 7, the ventilating channel 58 may be connecteddirectly to an adjacent ventilating channel 56 and share a portion ofthe same channel extending from the interior side 44 of the infant wedgesleep positioner 10. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 6, theventilating channel 58 may be connected directly to the interior side 44of the infant wedge sleep positioner 10 and sharing only the interiorside 44 of the infant wedge sleep positioner 10 with an adjacentventilating channel 56. It is further contemplated that the ventilatingchannel 58 may be completely separate or independent from an adjacentventilating channel 56.

It is further contemplated that the ventilating channel 58 may be anyshape including but not limited to a circle, oval, ovid, square,triangle, rectangle, hexagon, octagon, rhombus, trapezoid, etc . . .provided that the ventilating channel 58 is of sufficient size, eitherindividually or in combination with the ventilating channels 56 or otherventilating channels 58, to accommodate the necessary ventilation to andfrom the infant 42 and the outside air surrounding the infant wedgesleep positioner 10.

The ventilating channels 56 and/or ventilating channels 58 may becovered by a mesh or screen covering or any other means known to oneskilled in the art thereby preventing any foreign impurities, articles,or other matter, that may be injurious, harmful or otherwise, to reachthe infant 42 or obstruct the flow of air to and from the infant 42.

In use, the ventilating channels 56 and/or ventilating channels 58provide an unobstructed flow of air through the first body pillow 12,the second body pillow 14, or both to and from the infant 42. If thetemperature of the infant 42 within the cradle 40 begins to increase toa level that becomes dangerous to the infant or greater than thetemperature of the outside air surrounding the infant wedge sleeppositioner 10, this excess heat or temperature will be forced to flowalong path A (see FIG. 6) from the infant 42, through the ventilatingchannels 56 or 58, and exit out the infant wedge sleep positioner 10. Asthis excess heat or temperature is transferred from the infant 42 andthe cradle 40, the temperature of the infant 42 will decrease back tonormal or remain constant rather than increasing to an uncomfortableand/or unsafe temperature. Medical studies have indicated that thepreferable room temperature should be sixteen to twenty degrees Celsius(16° C.-20° C.) or sixty to seventy degrees Fahrenheit (60° F.-70° F.).With this excess heat continually being transferred from the infant 42and the cradle 40, the temperature of the infant 42 should remainconstant or at an acceptable level in this temperature range. As aresult, the infant wedge sleep positioner 10 utilizes the ventilatingchannels 56 and/or ventilating channels 58 for transferring theunnecessary heat in a direction away from the infant 42 thereby reducingthe risk of overheating in infants and sudden infant death syndrome.

Thus, there has been provided a unique infant wedge sleep positioner forpositioning an infant on their back or side while sleeping to reduce therisk of sudden infant death. Additionally, the infant wedge sleeppositioner may be provided with unobstructed ventilation to the infantfor reducing the risk of the infant becoming over heated furtherreducing the risk of sudden infant death. While the invention has beendescribed in conjunction with a specific embodiment, it is evident thatmany alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent tothose skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description.Accordingly, it in intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variations as fall within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

1. A device for holding an infant, comprising: a cushion having a topsurface, a bottom surface, a back surface, and opposed side surfaces,the top surface and the bottom surface sharing an edge at one end of thecushion; means for covering the cushion; two opposed pillows placedadjacent to one another, means for fixedly securing the one opposedpillow to the means for covering the cushion; and means for releasablysecuring the other opposed pillow to the means for covering the cushionfor providing lateral movement of the pillow between the opposed sidesurfaces in relation to the other opposed pillow, the lateral movementof the pillow covering less than one-half of the distance between theopposed side surfaces.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein the cushionseparated into a first section and a second section with the firstsection situated on top of the second section, the first section formingthe entire top surface and part of the back surface and opposed sidesurfaces, the second section forming the entire bottom surface and partof the back surface and opposed side surfaces.
 3. The device of claim 1wherein the cushion has a cross sectional shape that is substantiallytriangular in shape.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the top surfaceand the bottom surface form an angle with respect to one another at theedge of the cushion.
 5. The device of claim 1 wherein the first sectionis made of a memory foam material.
 6. The device of claim 1 wherein thesecond section is made of a firm foam material.
 7. The device of claim 1wherein each opposed pillow is situated adjacent to the edge of thecushion.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein the means for releasablysecuring the other opposed pillow to the means for covering the cushioncomprises hook and loop fasteners.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein themeans for covering the cushion is a cover.
 10. The device of claim 10wherein the cover is made from a material selected from the groupconsisting of flannel and terry cloth.
 11. The device of claim 1 whereinone of the opposed pillows has a cross sectional shape that is selectedfrom the group consisting of a circle, oval, ovid, square, triangle,rectangle, hexagon, rhombus, trapezoid, and octagon.
 12. The device ofclaim 11 wherein the shape of one of the opposed pillows is curved. 13.The device of claim 1 wherein the other of the opposed pillows has across sectional shape that is selected from the group consisting of acircle, oval, ovid, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, rhombus,trapezoid, and octagon.
 14. The device of claim 13 wherein the shape ofthe other of the opposed pillows is curved.
 15. A device for holding aninfant on their back or side, comprising: a first wedge shaped sectionhaving a top side, a bottom side, a back side, and a proximal end and adistal end, the first wedge shaped section made of a first material; asecond wedge shaped section having a top side, a bottom side, a backside, and a proximal end and a distal end, the second wedge shapedsection made of a second material that is different from the firstmaterial; the bottom side of the first wedge shaped section engagedlysituated adjacent to the top side of the second wedge shaped sectionwith the proximal ends and distal ends of each being aligned for forminga unified wedge shaped cushion having an inclined surface and opposedside surfaces; means for covering at least one of the wedges; twoopposed pillows placed adjacent to one another, one opposed pillowfixedly secured to the means for covering at least one of the wedges,the other opposed pillow releasably secured to the means for covering atleast one of the wedges for providing lateral movement of the pillowbetween the opposed side surfaces in relation to the one opposed pillow;and a cradle formed between the combination of the unified wedge and theopposed pillows, the cradle engagedly holding the infant.
 16. The deviceof claim 15 wherein the unified wedge shaped cushion has an incline fromthe proximal end to the distal end.
 17. The device of claim 15 whereinthe incline in the cushion is formed by an acute angle between the topside of the first wedge and the bottom side of the second wedge.
 18. Thedevice of claim 15 wherein the first wedge shaped section issubstantially identical to the second wedge shaped section.
 19. Thedevice of claim 15 wherein the first material is made of a memory foammaterial.
 20. The device of claim 15 wherein the second material is madeof a firm foam material.
 21. The device of claim 15 wherein the meansfor covering the cushion is a cover.
 22. The device of claim 21 whereinthe cover is made from a material selected from the group consisting offlannel and terry cloth.
 23. The device of claim 15 wherein the lateralmovement of the other pillow covers less than one-half of the distancebetween the opposed sides.
 24. The device of claim 15 and furthercomprising a ventilation channel in at least one of the opposed pillowsfor providing air flow through the opposed pillow to and from the infantheld in the cradle.
 25. A device for holding an infant, comprising: acushion having a top surface, a bottom surface, a back surface, andopposed side surfaces, the top surface and the bottom surface sharing anedge at one end of the cushion; means for covering the cushion; meansfor positioning the infant in a position relative to the cushion; and aventilation channel formed in the means for positioning the infant, theventilation channel enabling the transfer of air through the means forpositioning the infant to and from the infant held by the device. 26.The device of claim 25 wherein the cushion is separated into a firstsection and a second section, the first section situated on top of thesecond section, the first section forming the entire top surface andpart of the back surface and opposed side surfaces, the second sectionforming the entire bottom surface and part of the back surface andopposed side surfaces.
 27. The device of claim 25 wherein the means forpositioning the infant in a position relative to the cushion comprisestwo opposed pillows placed adjacent to one another, one opposed pillowfixedly secured to the means for covering the cushion, the other opposedpillow releasably secured to the means for covering the cushion forproviding lateral movement of the pillow between the opposed sidesurfaces in relation to the other opposed pillow.
 28. The device ofclaim 27 wherein the means for releasably securing the other opposedpillow permits lateral movement of the pillow for less than one-half ofthe distance between the opposed side surfaces.
 29. The device of claim27 wherein the ventilation channel is formed in one of the opposedpillows and extends through the pillow from the interior side to anotherside.